Originally Posted by kidkair:
How is she doing with getting on the bus to come home? If she's throwing a fit about the bus ride home then I would consider something to be going on with the bus itself. Such as maybe it's making a noise she never paid attention to before and now that she hears it she's scared or the smell of the bus or the way the sun hits her eyes around a corner later in the route or being unbuckled or buckeled differently than in your car. Sometimes a kid who has seperation anxiety will pick up on sensory issues differently than other kids. Anything really could trigger some sensory something that as adults we just ignore. If she's getting on the bus just fine in the afternoon then I would definately look into having someone else take her to the bus for awhile and have her talk to the counselor. Counselors have training in talking to young children and getting answers from them without feeding information to them. They are also very creative and may have a good plan toward solving the issue. Try teaching her calming breathing exercises at night to help her sleep better so she's not so tired when the morning bus comes. It sounds to me like a cycle has begun and she just needs help to break the cycle. Any amount of extra non-stressing about the bus will do her good. I agree with the others who suggested not talking about it with her. When she gets home focus on school not the bus. Before bed focus on school or an activity happening afterschool and ignore the bus. Help her relax before bed and ignore any mentions of the bus. Even in the morning use phrases like "time to get ready for school" vs "hurry up the bus will be here soon". Try hard to not mention the word bus and it will stop drawing her attention to it. Good luck and keep us posted. 
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Honestly, it reminds me of a little boy I have at daycare, who is 3 years old. He comes five days a week, and he's a very smart, well-behaved kid. It's not like he is constantly in trouble so he's scared or anything. BUT when his mom or dad drop him off, almost ALWAYS, he holds onto their legs and SCREAMS like someone is killing him or something. (Seriously, that is no exaggeration. lol) AS SOON AS they are out of sight, he jumps out of my arms and runs to play with the other kids. It's mostly just a show for his parents. At first, they'd call and check on him. Then, I'd text them as soon as he quit crying, usually before they were even to the car! Now, they don't even bother to ask, they just hand him over and leave. If your daughter is getting on the bus fine in the afternoons, maybe it IS just a show for you? I mean, obviously it's a very stressful show for the both of you, but that could be it? If possible, I would let someone else walk her to the bus, and see if that helps. Are there any neighbor kids that she could get on the bus with? Maybe she just doesn't like getting on alone? Idk...it sounds like a tough situation, but it will get better! Keep us updated.